If the Amazon Prime drama series Daisy Jones & The Six, or Get Back, the eight hour trilogy of films documenting the Beatles’ recording of Let It Be, whetted your appetite for delving into the Babylon of the 1970s that gave birth to some of our greatest popular music, then this show will be for you.

For me, interminable conversations between the various band members about their relationships, and about the recordings, that made up the first half were alleviated only by the songs themselves. Written by Will Butler, formerly of Arcade Fire, they are actually pretty good pastiches of seventies rock. To be fair, there was some witty dialogue by the author of the play David Adjmi.

The unnecessarily long first half sets up a much more interesting second half. As relationships break up, tensions between the band rise, and questions are raised about the nature of creativity, the play, directed by Daniel Aukin, becomes more and more gripping.

Here’s the plot: in the mid 1970s a rock band are recording their second album. The five members are a mix of British and American, and comprise two couples plus the drummer. As they begin their work in the studio, word comes through that a single from their first album and then the album itself are climbing the charts. Suddenly much more money is made available to them by the record company. This turns out to be a case of ‘be careful what you wish for’, because, without the discipline of a time limit, paranoia and perfectionism run unbridled, and the recording extends in length to a year.

The entire play, in four acts, takes place in the studio, so we as an audience feel as trapped as the band in this cramped timeless space, reminiscent of a scenario by Samuel Beckett. Three hours of repetition with the same seven faces start to seem like a year. Designed by David Zinn, the set is constructed in meticulous detail, with the recording booth behind glass at the back of the stage, and the mixer desk and relaxation area at the front.

The most interesting character is the band leader and driving force, Peter, given an edgy performance by Jack Riddiford. It is a stunning portrayal of an artistic genius, who is never satisfied with the quality of the work. His increasingly controlling nature, combined with an absence of social skills, annoys all those present. He combines long silences, lack of consultation, and cutting criticism with a self centred unawareness of his effect on others.

In particular he picks on his longtime girlfriend Diana, played by Lucy Karczewski. Not entirely coincidentally, she has written their hit single and is contributing as many songs as him to the new album. Whether it’s professional jealousy or his desire to dominate her, he deliberately undermines her confidence in both her writing and singing, leading to an increasingly fraught relationship.

Zachary Hart gives life to bass player Reg. His brain is so addled with alcohol he can hardly put one foot in front of the other but can still lay down a great bass line. His behaviour is to the detriment of his relationship with his wife and the band’s keyboard player Holly played by Nia Towle. As he begins to replace his addiction to drink with new addictions to various forms of lifestyle and philosophy, he becomes a proselytiser looking to buttonhole and bore anyone he meets with his New Age beliefs.

Simon the drummer has been away from his family for far too long, and, while he seems like the level headed one, exhaustion leads to moments of ego and insecurity. Chris Stack cleverly adopts a calm, slightly strangulated voice that hides his character’s anxieties. We also see why common sense like his will not get the best out of this creative process.

The two women are not respected by the men, despite the quality of their work, and ironically they are underdeveloped as characters in the play. Their generally down-to-earth behaviour with occasional outbursts only hints at their troubled lives rather than revealing what drives them. This especially applies to Diana whose talent for writing appears to come from nowhere. Her lack of confidence turns out to be the product of her destructive relationship with Peter, but we get little insight into how she would got herself into the situation or how she can get out of it.

Trying to hold things together is recording engineer Grover, a masterful portrait of nerves, obsequiousness and frustration, from Eli Gelb. His hapless assistant Charlie played by Andrew R Butler provides much needed light relief. Like Chris Stack, these two are from the original Broadway cast.

I don’t want to give the impression it’s all argument and mental breakdown, there is also humour in the bickering and banter of David Adjmi’s natural sounding conversations.

Eventually the album is finished but the battle to produce it has left many casualties. At times, I felt like one of them. However the second act goes a long way to redeeming the first. I think how highly you rate this play may depend on your interest in the subject matter because, unlike say Dear England and its exploration of leadership in a football setting, Stereophonic’s study of the creative process doesn’t take you far enough beyond its rock music context.

Paul received a review ticket from the producer.